Childcare in Singapore: Negotiating choices and constraints in a multicultural society

Abstract

Childcare issues lie at the critical nexus where questions relating to the economy, state ideology, culture, and women's roles come together. We explore the childcare strategies of Singapore women in the context of a society which is distinctively “multiracial” with deep cultural tap roots and which is at the same time experiencing rapid economic development. Drawing on recent conceptualisations in the work of feminist geographers and field data, we outline a framework of different modes of childcare provision available in Singapore before using this to inform the discussion on ethnic variations in women's choice of childcare strategies. In particular, we focus on the cultural concerns of women of different ethnicities, and the constraints they face. Through a series of case studies, we examine how women in a variety of ways reconcile cultural parameters with practical conditions in an attempt to come to terms with their choice of childcare strategies. More specifically, we argue that there is slippage between the state's multiracial ideology and minority women's access and experience of childcare services.